Apple Watch’s new alarm feature needs a small tweak to be perfect.

WatchOS 11.4 has a new feature that allows your Apple Watch alarm to be audible even in Silent Mode. This is perfect for people who are heavy sleepers and the haptic feedback isn’t enough to wake them up. For me personally, I keep my watch on silent all the time, and the haptic feedback from the watch is enough to wake me up without disturbing my wife.

I’m willing to bet that most people keep their Apple Watch on silent too or else this feature wouldn’t be a thing. It’s easy to feel the haptics when you’re awake, but we all know that heavy sleeper that needs both haptics and sound (and even a splash of water!).

If you need that extra jolt to wake you up, just edit the alarm, scroll down and turn on Break Through Silent Mode.

Behold, the alarm times for a Nuclear Pharmacist.

There is one problem though because in the above example, the 1:00 AM alarm has Break Through Silent Mode turned ON, and the 1:10 AM has it turned OFF. There is no way to distinguish which alarms are going to be loud and which ones will just have haptic feedback. Apple can solve this with a simple tweak by adding a little volume glyph in the corner so people can remember which alarms are going to be loud.

With the volume glyph, you can easily tell which alarms will be loud.

I hope WWDC brings these two fixes in watchOS 12.

There’s been a viral clip going around X ever since the Siri fiasco took off. 

A clip emphasizing simplicity. 

A clip emphasizing stability.

It was about the new features in Snow Leopard back in 2009, and how Apple proudly announced zero new features.

Although there were new features, what Apple was trying to emphasize was software stability and how important it was to them to make sure, “it just works.”

The famous “it just works,” implying how seamless and unbelievable it is, and not the jerry rigged “it juuust (barely) works.”

Apple had a more recent instance similar to this with iOS9 in 2015, where Craig Federighi discussed how the focus was on “elevating the foundations” of iOS, such as extending battery life, improving performance, and enhancing security to protect customer data. 

watchOS needs its Snow Leopard / iOS 9 moment. Have a few updates to wow the people and please Wall Street, but really hunker down and fix some key issues.

Two issues to be exact.

The first issue is the ability to swipe between your watch faces. This was a staple and stable feature starting with watchOS 3 before watchOS 10 had its huge overhaul with SmartStack. You would effortlessly swipe between watch faces and all your information was just there, present and up to date. In watchOS 10, that feature went away for a while, and I was not happy about it:

A barbaric touch and hold, followed by scrolling right or left in the edit screen. Even the original Apple Watch had a faster way to change watch faces with its Force Touch ability giving you almost instant access to the watch face edit screen.

Even Apple knew they had to bring this feature back since it made switching watch faces much faster, and they did bring it back as a hidden option with watchOS 10.2 under Settings > Clock > Swipe to Switch Watch Face.

It came back, but it came back the way Michael Jordan came back as a Washington Wizard instead of a Chicago Bull.

No longer the default option, the swipe came back as a 2nd string option due to its glitchy performance. On my 7 and a half year old Series 3 Apple Watch, with its latest software version (Watch OS 8), in the year 2025, you can swipe between watch faces and everything is in memory and seamless. Extremely smooth, with the hour, minute, and seconds hands perfectly in sync between swipes. It just works!

Somehow the architecture of watchOS 10 fundamentally changed some of the inner workings of the Apple Watch, and after almost 2 years now, it’s as if the watch face has to “load” each and every time you swipe watch faces. It feels and looks buggy, especially when you go from an analog watch face to a digital watch face that is full of data. It juuust (barely) works.

The Tips app on your iPhone even demos how to change your watch face, referring to the touch and hold method vs the swipe method.

I’m sure there are Apple Watch engineers who cringe every time they swipe from one watch face to another, knowing that this problem still exists and needs to be fixed. I understand why it’s not a high priority, but it’ll be two years in June when they announce watchOS 12.

Two years is long enough.

The second (more critical) issue that needs to be overhauled are the watch faces. I’ve said this multiple times already, but they need to be updated to support the Series 10’s always on display with seconds hand. To advertise this feature and then to only have it on 3 watch faces at launch is just embarrassing. The Unity Rhythm watch face was released recently with watchOS 11.3, but that is still 4 out of over 40 watch faces. In the Steve Jobs era, this would not have been acceptable. Heck, even Jony Ive would have put the hammer down on this one.

To complicate things further, there are plenty of complications such as the digital time and digital seconds complications that would make this feature pop even more on the watch. Your always on display would look more realistic, with ticking “components” constantly updating every second without sacrificing battery life. That “magical” touch would sell more watches, because we are visual creatures, and to see the Apple Watch acting like an actual watch that ticks and doesn’t stop moving will blur the line between digital and traditional watch faces. 

Watch enthusiasts will appreciate it even more, and won’t scoff (as much) at us digital watch wearers. They will still scoff at us when they notice its quartz-like movement, but appreciate the technological step forward and will purchase one, probably a more expensive model to boot.

The real question is, was this a Wall Street move to keep this feature gimped the way Apple has? Perhaps it would have taken sales away from the higher profit margin of the Ultra 2? The Series 10 in 46mm technically does have a bigger display, and to make it more lively with its 1 sec refresh rate for $370 less does make it a much more compelling purchase from a visual standpoint. 

As sleezy as it might be to keep the feature purposefully limited to drive Ultra 2 sales (I don’t think this was the plan), it would be reassuring to know they have the capability to make every watch face compatible with the 1 second refresh rate. I really do hope the Ultra 3 and Series 11 have full support for this feature, while updating the Series 10 to match.

Ideally, and this is truly my hope, Apple didn’t have time to fix the issues with the previous watch faces, and they are working diligently to update all watch faces for watchOS 12.

The updated watch faces could even be the main upgrade for watchOS 12 and it could actually revitalize interest in the Apple Watch. The timing would be perfect to coincide with the purported iOS 19 redesign.

Pebble gladly tells you who its watch is not for.

Eric Migicovsky at the end of his blogpost introducing two new PebbleOS watches:

You shouldn’t get one if…

You need a perfectly polished smartwatch. This project is a labour of love rather than a startup trying to sell millions of watches. There may be some rough edges (literally). Things will get delayed. Some features will not be ready at launch. Things could break. Things could not last as long as you’d like. The only thing we can guarantee is that it will be awesome and a lot of fun! Every time you look down at your watch, you will smile 🙂

You’re looking for a fitness or sports watch. That’s not what we’re making. From what we hear, Garmin watches are great for runners/cyclists/triathletes!

You’re comparing this to an Apple Watch. There is NO way for a 3rd party smartwatch to compete with Apple Watch. Apple restricts 3rd parties in major ways - read my blog post for more information. For example, 3rd party watches on iOS cannot send replies to notifications.

These watches are not made for everyone. We want to be upfront with you about what to expect.

I appreciate his honesty here, especially when he says you can’t compare this to an Apple Watch. He makes Apple seem like the bad guy in this, but the truth is, can you fault Apple, with its hard stance on privacy, for not supporting the Pebble Watch, when one of its five key features is being hackable?

John Gruber said it best when he described Pebble like the Playdate:

If their goal is to be to smartwatches what Playdate is to handheld gaming, that’s definitely achievable, and if they succeed, will by definition be a lot of fun.

The whole tech world needs more projects that aren’t trying to become billion- (let alone trillion‑) dollar ideas, but are happily shooting for success as million-dollar ideas (or less!).

Will Apple release a Jet Black Series 11 Apple Watch?

Jet Black Series 10 hiding in the shadows.

When Apple announced the Series 10 in Jet Black, it caught me by surprise, and I knew it was going to be the color I chose. 

Apple only had one Jet Black device before, and that was the iPhone 7. Why they discontinued it is anybody’s guess, but it could have something to do with it scratching too easily, which Apple acknowledged in a footnote (taken from The Verge):

The high-gloss finish of the jet black iPhone 7 is achieved through a precision nine-step anodization and polishing process. Its surface is equally as hard as other anodized Apple products; however, its high shine may show fine micro-abrasions with use. If you are concerned about this, we suggest you use one of the many cases available to protect your iPhone.

This problem doesn’t exist with the Series 10, and it may have something to do with a newer 30-step anodization process vs the old nine-step process:

For the first time, Apple Watch comes in an eye-catching Jet Black aluminum. The case is polished until it’s extremely reflective. It then goes through a 30-step anodization process to create a deep, glossy black that’s truly striking. The result is a timeless, sophisticated look.

I’ve had my Jet Black for around 6 months now, and after giving it a thorough wipe down, I cannot see any micro abrasions at all, or any other unexplainable scratches beyond my one critical drop. My watch isn’t perfect, but it seems like Apple has improved their anodizing and polishing process within the 8 years since the iPhone 7.

Besides Jet Black, the iPhone 7 came in a regular Black variant, giving people a choice between matte and glossy black. With the Series 10, Apple doubled down on Jet Black and didn’t release another black variant. They must be confident in this new Jet Black color, and it gives me confidence that the Jet Black might stick around beyond the Series 10.

Is the Apple Watch Series 10 worth buying 6 months later?

We are at the 6-month period with the Apple Watch Series 10, and it begs the question:

Should you wait for the Series 11 or buy the Series 10 now at a discount?

Based on what’s been rumored in the pipeline, I would buy a Series 10 and save a minimum of $100 on the aluminum models, and up to $120 off on the Titanium models on Amazon. About a year ago when the Series 9 was six months old, I was able to snag a brand new Series 9 Stainless Steel 41mm for $472 (before tax) compared to the usual $699, saving $227!

The Series 10 did end up being a significant upgrade with a thinner design and a new LTPO3 display, and I wouldn’t expect these to change with the Series 11, making a discounted Series 10 a great buy.

Speaking of the display, let’s talk about what you get with the Series 10 (and probably the Series 11).

The display is 40% brighter than the Series 9 when viewed from an angle, but the difference is only noticeable on certain watch faces, which is still a plus. The display is more efficient, allowing it to be refreshed once a second instead of once a minute. According to Apple, this allows for an always-on seconds hand, allowing you to see a ticking seconds hand without raising your hand. It only works on select watch faces right now, but I expect that to be updated in watchOS 12, or else we have a big problem on our hands (pun intended).

The main rumored features for the Series 11 that might prevent you from upgrading right now would be blood pressure monitoring and glucose monitoring. Glucose monitoring is less likely, but blood pressure monitoring is more probable. It was allegedly supposed to be on the Series 10 according to Mark Gurman.

Even if blood pressure monitoring did make its way to the Series 11, it will not be like a traditional blood pressure monitor. You will not be able to get readings whenever you want, and it would be similar to the sleep apnea detection capabilities.

Apple’s sleep apnea detection feature is able to detect severe sleep apnea 89% of the time, but it can only detect moderate sleep apnea 43% of the time. My gut tells me that blood pressure monitoring will be similar and will be most beneficial for those who already suffer from high blood pressure.

Besides blood pressure detection, I don’t expect a whole lot of hardware differences. Sure, there might be a faster chip, but the chip in the Series 10 is plenty fast for what a watch needs. Even a Series 3 works well enough today.

The Series 10 did get faster charging than the Series 9, going from 0-80% in 30 minutes versus 45 minutes on the Series 9. I wouldn’t expect the Series 11 to get any faster as 30 minutes is already excellent.

The Series 11 might end up being the most iterative device refresh of the year, and it would be a good idea to get a Series 10 right now at a minimum of $100 off.

Apple Watch Typograph - Unique colors you didn’t know about.

Since the launch of Apple Watch, Apple releases new colors for Apple Watch face customization during different seasons.

Out of the 130+ custom colors to choose from, there are only 4 colors that standout to give you a unique and more professional watch face experience.

Let’s look at the Typograph watch face.

This watch face gives you 19 black watch faces…

followed by 14 full-screen color watch faces.

If you add every custom color as an option, you get 137 bonus colors, but only four of them give you a full-screen color effect. 

Take a look for yourself:

It might not be obvious at first glance, but do you see the four special colors?

These four colors are: Clover, Starlight, Red, and Abyss Blue.

These colors are located under the Fall 2021 season. 

English Lavender and Dark Cherry are also in the Fall 2021 Season, but they don’t get the special treatment.

Not sure if this was meant to be, but I’m all for the full screen effect. These four colors seem to be coded in watchOS like the 14 default full-screen colors even though they’re custom colors. The Typograph watch face is particularly one that is form over function, so these four colors add a bit more style if the other shades didn’t tickle your fancy. Of course, the colors also work in the more functional “Dial II” layout.

These four colors are distinct from their closest resembling default watch faces and have their own unique look:

Evergreen (default) vs Clover.

Watermelon (default) vs Red.

Navy Blue (default) vs Abyss Blue.

Among all these default colors, the custom Starlight color falls somewhere in between Gold and Light Titanium.

The only reason why I think these 4 colors are special is because besides Midnight (which is just fancy for Space Gray, a default color since the Apple Watch’s inception), the Series 7 aluminum models came in Green, Starlight, (PRODUCT) RED, and Blue. There are many shades of red to choose from, but the red from Fall 2021 resembles (PRODUCT) RED. I think Apple wanted matching watch face colors with the debut of these new colors and the newly remodeled edge-to-edge screen on the Series 7.

Check out the same colors on other watch faces to see their unique look, with a special surprise on the Meridian Watch Face.

California Watch Face

Chronograph Pro Watch Face

Meridian Watch Face

Apple’s new watch bands still don’t have the right description for compatibility.

Apple released new watch bands today, and their compatibility description is still wrong. Not all 42mm Apple Watches fit all 42mm watch bands.

What Apple’s description says:

You can match most bands with any Apple Watch Series 3 or later case of the same size.

38mm, 40mm, 41mm, and 42mm bands are compatible with 38mm, 40mm, 41mm, 42mm case sizes. 44mm, 45mm, 46mm, and 49mm bands are compatible with 44mm, 45mm, 46mm, and 49mm case sizes.

What it should say:

You can match most bands with any Apple Watch Series 3 or later case of the same size. 

38mm, 40mm, 41mm, and 42mm bands are compatible with 38mm, 40mm, 41mm, and Series 10 42mm case sizes. 

44mm, 45mm, 46mm, and 49mm bands are compatible with 44mm, 45mm, 46mm, and 49mm case sizes, and Series 3 or earlier models with a 42mm case size.

If you’re still wearing a Series 3 watch or earlier in the 42mm size and you want to buy one of the new watch bands that is worth more than your watch (you know who you are), you would have to buy the 46mm watch bands for a proper fit.

To understand why, I went in extreme detail a few months ago discussing this growing confusion of Apple Watch band compatibility.

Apple products: Why you should film your unboxing videos (part 2)

Update: 3/1/2025 - Got my refund from Best Buy, but no explanation or any details about the investigation. Probably something they won’t share with consumers.

I mentioned earlier how Best Buy was going to give me a refund simply because I told them I didn’t receive a watch inside the package. It turns out I was misinformed by the person who helped me with this case. This actually makes a ton of sense though because if it was as simple as calling Best Buy and telling them there was nothing in the package, what is there to stop anyone from simply abusing that policy? They do want to do an investigation, which makes perfect sense.

They got back to me via email and kindly requested pictures of the product packaging and the shipping box. I one-upped that request with detailed photos and a video of me unboxing the watch strap box, tearing the seals and finding even more overly engineered cardboard.

I do expect to get a full refund eventually, but in today’s day and age, it is worth your time to take photos of the shipping box, along with a video of you unboxing your expensive, high-value items. I personally believe that without the video I made, it would be hard for me to prove my innocence.

Stay tuned.

Who should buy the Powerbeats Pro 2? The answer will surprise you.

Apple’s Superstar lineup for marketing the Powerbeats Pro 2:

Shohei Ohtani.

Lionel Messi.

Lebron James.

Your mom.

Wait…what??

Yes, that’s right. Your mom is a Superstar, and an ideal candidate for the Powerbeats Pro 2, at least if she’s anything like mine.

My mom was in the market for some durable earbuds back in October 2021. Besides being wireless, she only had one criterion: the earbuds had to have a loop that goes around her ears and keeps it secure. She wears a headscarf, and headscarves don’t go well with any AirPods that she has tried since they simply are not secure enough. As a bus driver, the last thing she wants to do is try to find her ear bud in the driver’s footwell.

The Powerbeats Pro were the best choice, and she has been using the same pair every day since November 2021. They’re still going strong, and once they go bad, I will probably get her the Powerbeats Pro 2 that I am testing out. I can’t give them to her now because her original ones still work, and she wouldn’t want me to get her new headphones for no reason. I might even get a lecture about wasting money if I did.

It’s an Asian thing.

Just don’t tell her about my Apple Watch obsession.

She’s in her 60s, yet these are perfect for her in many ways besides the secure fit. She is a marathon talker on the phone, and she will be happy with the much better battery life. She manages battery life by alternating ear pieces, and she keeps her other ear free for listening to her surroundings.

I don’t even want to try to explain to her how the force touch tips on AirPods work, let alone the swipe gestures, but the actual buttons on the beats make it simple and easy to understand. A simple volume rocker and a “beats” button for play and pause. Real, clickable buttons, perfect for the elderly and non tech-savvy. She is already used to this layout, so she will feel right at home.

The smaller case will make more room for her purse which is already full (what purse isn’t full anyway?), but it won’t be too small for her to lose it either. The balance is just right.

The other cool aspect about the Pro 2 is heart rate monitoring. My mom refuses to wear an Apple Watch because that’s just one more thing to learn and charge, but she wears her beats all the time. When she is not actively listening to lectures or talking on the phone, her iPhone would be logging her heart rate with the Pro 2. It only logs your heart rate when you are actively in the Health App with both earbuds in place, but it would be nice for her to see at least one health metric. The minute you leave the Health app, the heart rate monitor stops, probably to preserve battery life.

My plan is to get her interested in heart rate monitoring, and then eventually upsell her into an Apple Watch for all the other health benefits.

Lastly, if you’re afraid someone might steal her earbuds, buy the Quick Sand color. That hue of light grayish-brown is a similar color to hearing aids, and looks the part when placed in your ear. I instantly felt older when I looked in the mirror instead of younger and hip.

Apple products: Why you should film your unboxing videos (part 1)

Update: changed title to current title from previous title - PSA: Record your unboxings so you can prove your innocence.

I bought an Apple Watch Ultra 2 from Best Buy Geek Squad Refurbished, and I had a “unique” unboxing experience. It was advertised as “Open Box Excellent,” and when I opened the outer packaging, I got excited because the inner box that holds the Apple Watch still had the white plastic seals on it, signifying a brand new, unopened watch.

I tore the tabs off, and inside the box was the charger…and no watch.

I was not disappointed as much as I should have been, but I was actually impressed. How did they seal this package back up and make it look like a brand new seal? I inspected the pull tabs on the seal and on the box, and nothing looked like it was put back together or jimmy-rigged in some way.

There was still the watch band to unbox, but this time I recorded it. The box felt suspiciously light, but the Alpine Loop is light too, so it was anybody’s guess if there was a band inside. When I pulled the sealed tab, there was an empty cardboard shell that holds the Alpine Loop.

Ouch.

The thieves have upped their game, but thankfully Best Buy is siding with the customer (me) and will be refunding me without even needing my video proving my innocence.

Not sure if other retailers/sellers will make it this easy to get a refund, but do yourself a favor and record your unboxings of any high-demand product, especially if it’s used.

The influence for the Vision Pro’s design.

It’s hard not to see the uncanny resemblance between these two products.

Take the Apple Watch, stretch it out, add a curve to it, and there you have it:

The Vision Pro.

Storing things inside Your AirPods Pro 2 case.

I ended up getting a mini workout done when I was not really expecting to at my son’s wrestling practice. Normally I just use the time to do some writing, but now I have to split the time between writing and working out due to less free time at home with the new baby.

The Milanese band is my band of choice for jogging, but I forgot to swap it out and was wearing my link bracelet. I wear the link bracelet a bit loose since it’s uncomfortable when tight, but I needed to tighten it up for the workout.

I ended up taking out one link, and storing it in my AirPods Pro 2 case. It fits pretty good inside there, and even attaches magnetically making it harder for the link to fall out. I do use the smaller sized bracelet labelled 38mm (also the same as 40mm, 41mm, and the new 42mm), but I’m confident there is enough space for the larger links to also fit.

I’m not a fan of working out with the link bracelet, but it’s doable, especially if you have storage for your extra links.

You can store one link in each slot.

The links have a strong enough magnetic connection to not fall out when turned upside down. If you drop the case though, they will pop out and fly away.

JD Vance gets told to take off his Apple Watch.

An open letter from Watches of Espionage, letting JD Vance know of the obvious security risks for a Vice President to be wearing a smartwatch.

Not a politically charged piece, just one that makes sense.

Using a Series 3 Ceramic Edition Apple Watch is like driving a weekend car.

I use my White Ceramic Series 3 occasionally, and it is a joy to look at that thing. Sure it’s an old Apple Watch, but it has that pearlescent white finish that just contrasts well with the black screen and colorful watch faces.

It is the most “Apple-like” color.

Playful…

Serious.

Band compatibility is also great with a white watch. Most color combos would work in my opinion, except for the Natural and Gold Stainless Steel, and Natural Titanium bands. Black Steel and Black Titanium would look amazing.

There’s a lot of work involved though in getting this watch up to speed even for just the weekend. I mentioned earlier that it takes about 9 minutes to boot and have the watch connect to my device, but in reality, it takes about 20-30 minutes for the watch to sync all the messages, weather information, email, etc., to my watch from the past week of living.

I was quite surprised last Saturday when I wore it, and my Messages counter on the watch went from “No new messages,” to 40 new messages, down to 22, and then eventually to “No new messages.”

It really is a device you need to be patient with unless you use it every day.

It’s like an old, weekend car you want to enjoy for a few days, but then you’re glad it’s over by Sunday afternoon because the car is nice and fun, but also a bit cumbersome, makes a few rattles, is missing many creature comforts, needs to be warmed up before you throw it around, and takes premium gas.

Apple found a good balance with this watch by stopping the updates at watchOS 8. I know people like to complain that new updates have slowed down their Apple devices and that’s probably true for the Series 3 on watchOS 8, but you can never please anyone, and you have to find that perfect balance where you can update a device with more features, while keeping it as zippy as possible.

If I wear the Series 3 for weeks on end (which I did earlier), then it doesn’t have to do a massive sync of all the data, and it runs just fine. Just don’t let it run out of battery for the love of God.

Once again, it is absolutely illogical to buy a Ceramic Edition Series 3 for productivity reasons. You’re buying this watch for nostalgia and aesthetics, and you’re trying to experience luxury at a discount. You can do the same with the Stainless Steel models, which were beautiful.

I’ll use Adam Savage’s analogy (also fitting for my line of work), and say that the Series 3 Ceramic and Stainless Steel models are like a gateway drug into experiencing Apple’s premium watches at a steep discount.

Apple Watch Meridian Face - Unique colors you didn’t know about.

I’ve written two earlier pieces about the unique colors for the California and Chronograph Pro watch faces, but what really surprised me was the Meridian watch face.

Meridian is another analog watch face like California and Chronograph Pro and is the simplest of the bunch. It just has 4 complications in the middle of the watch in a diamond-shaped pattern.

The dial can be either black or white contrasted with white or black hour markers. The color that you choose only changes the color of the complications.

The Meridian watch face keeps a low profile with color strictly restricted to the complications. (Standard colors shown.)

There are 139 custom colors to choose from, but only four of those give you a unique look that also change the color of the hour and seconds markers. Combine that with either a white or black face, and you have 8 unique watch faces.

And they look amazing.

Those four colors are Clover, Starlight, Red, and Abyss Blue, and they’re located under the Fall 2021 collection.

Whether you use the white or black face, you get an interesting look that you probably didn’t know existed among the other 135 custom colors.

Just for scale, take a look at all the custom colors below, with the four unique colors highlighted:

4 out 139 have the special color feature.

Not only are the hour markers color-coded, but so are the second markers. In an alternate world, these colors would be: Sour Cream and Onion, Salted Caramel, Peppermint Red, and Gorgonzola.

Now, let’s go dark:

The darker versions really pop more due to the contrast.

Once again, among all the standard and custom colors, only these four give you that extra splash of color.

My theory for why these four colors are special? In Fall 2021, the Series 7 aluminum models came in four special colors: Green, Starlight, (PRODUCT) RED, and Blue.

They also came in the standard Space Gray which was called Midnight, but no one cares.

There are many shades of red to choose from, but the red from Fall 2021 definitely resembles (PRODUCT) RED. I think Apple wanted matching watch face colors with the debut of these new colors and the newly remodeled edge-to-edge screen on the Series 7.

Whatever the reason, I hope you enjoy these new colors on your Meridian watch face.

Check out the same colors on other watch faces to see their unique look:

California Watch Face

Chronograph Pro Watch Face

Typograph Watch Face

How to add the Apple logo to your Apple watch face.

Update 2/10/25 @ 8:14pm: added additional image for instructional clarity.

Just like all watch brands that showcase their logo right below the 12 o’clock marker, you can brand your Apple Watch with a Monogram on several watch faces.

Per Apple’s statement:

Choose up to five characters to appear in the Monogram complication on the Typograph, Infograph, Meridian, California, and Color watch faces.

You could add any five characters, but I find it best suited to put the Apple logo in the Monogram complication.

Also, Apple’s statement is wrong. You can also apply the Monogram to the Contour and Solar Analog watch faces (image below).

Go to your Watch App under Clock > Monogram and simply copy and paste this Apple logo: 

Then go to one of the compatible watch faces, and for the “Sub-dial Top” complication, go to Personalization and add the Monogram.

You can have your Apple Watch faces looking like this:

The  logo gives your watch face some class.

WatchOS 11 gets more well deserved criticism.

First it was Zac from 9to5Mac, and now John from Daring Fireball sharing my pain with their Apple Watch frustrations.

Here’s John’s Apple Watch Report Card:

APPLE WATCH: C (LAST YEAR: B)

Series 10 watches feature a new display that supports once-per-second updates while in energy-saving always-on mode. So the seconds hand on an analog face can “tick” once per second even when the display isn’t fully on. But Apple only enabled this ticking seconds indicator on two watch faces, both new to WatchOS 11: Flux and Reflections. Setting aside the fact that I personally don’t like either of those faces (Flux in particular seems deliberately obtuse), this is ridiculous. WatchOS 11 offers, by my quick count, at least 33 different watch faces that offer a non-digital seconds hand or indicator. And only 2 of them support the new 1Hz refresh rate? That’s bullshit. And it wasn’t just a launch thing, because here we are in February, with WatchOS 11.3, and zero additional watch faces have been updated to support it. This is not how a serious watchmaker treats its watches. I will admit to caring far more about always-on seconds hands than most people, but this isn’t how a serious watchmaker deals with technical breakthroughs like this new display with a 1Hz refresh rate. Not just most, but every single watch face should have been updated to support ticking seconds. Apple Watch is turning more into a fitness tracker that happens to show the time, and away from serving as a proper watch.

Also: no Ultra 3 this year. The year-old Ultra 2 did gain a very nice black titanium color option, but that’s it. Kind of weird for a watch that starts at $800 — and that seems quite popular — to skip a year of silicon improvements.

I really hope watchOS 12 fixes all previous watch faces and complications that are compatible with the 1Hz refresh rate, if not sooner.

As for the Ultra 2, marketing wise they get an A for selling the same watch at the same price with a worse color that everyone seems to love even though it rubs off worse than Jet Black.

Is the Series 3 Apple Watch still usable in 2025?

I’ve been using the Series 3 Apple Watch for about three weeks now. Actually, I’ve been using three different Series 3 watches, and it’s quite interesting how even after 7 generations, the Series 3 still holds up.

But it definitely is not perfect.

The Series 3 came out back in September 2017 and is still supported by Apple when it comes to hardware repairs. Software wise, the last update it supported was watchOS 8.8.1. 

The best way to talk about the Series 3 is to go all out and compare it with the Series 10 to give you a fair comparison between old and new technology.

Initial boot up

This is probably the one thing that really lets you know this is a 7 year old watch. 

I did a boot test to see what was the difference in speed, but I discovered a better test, which was to see how quickly it can ping my iPhone after bootup. This way it tests how quickly the watch connects to my iPhone, which is its lifesource.

From initial boot to pinging my Apple Watch, the Series 10 was able to do it in 1 minute. 

The Series 3 took 8 minutes and 50 seconds.

I know this is not a good start, but I promise it gets better.

Size comparison

I obtained 3 different models, all at the larger 42mm size. This is the size to get, since the screen is still the original square shape that was not edge to edge. The 38mm is just too small for visibility. The funny thing is, the larger Series 3 body at 42mm is the same size as the smaller Series 10 at 42mm. What was once the bigger Apple Watch is now the size of the smaller watch.

Go big or go home.

Series 3 42mm dimensions: 42mm by 36.4mm

Series 10 42mm dimensions: 42mm by 36mm

When you look at Watch faces that are mainly black and hide the bezels, the difference between these 42mm models isn’t really that big, making the Series 3 still very legible and modern. The only time you notice the smaller screen is when you have a watch face that shows the whole screen, such as Timelapse or Photos. The Series 3 does not have any other full screen watch faces, rightfully so.

Band compatibility

Even though both watches are 42mm, they don’t support the same watch bands. A new 42mm band is smaller than the old 42mm band. It sounds confusing since the number is the same, but this is the one time the math doesn’t add up. There is a good infographic from an eBay store that shows which bands are compatible, or you can read my nitty gritty about band compatibility.

Even though the Series 3 and Series 10 have the same length and width, the Series 3 is 1.7mm thicker than the Series 10. That thickness might change what hole you use to fasten your band, and can even affect compatibility with the Solo and Braided Solo Loop that come in fixed sizes. I haven’t tested the Solo and Braided Solo Loops on my Series 3, but here is what Apple says when you click on compatibility details:

The Solo Loop and Braided Solo Loop bands are only compatible with Apple Watch SE, Apple Watch Series 4 or later, and Apple Watch Ultra or later.

Hardware differences

The basic recipe is still here between the Series 3 and Series 10. The Series 3 has the same Side Button and Digital Crown, but you don’t have any haptics when you rotate the Digital Crown. The Side Button is protruding instead of being flush like the Series 10. As a matter of fact, the Series 3 was the last watch to have the protruding Side Button.

The square shape of the Series 3 is more obvious and Apple has addressed the squareness by chipping away at the corners over the years, making it rounder than it has ever been on the Series 10. I can see why Apple initially got a lot of criticism for releasing a square shaped watch when all the watch faces were round. 

Apple has double-downed on roundness for each generation of the Apple Watch.

Even though the shape has changed over the last 7 years, there is no denying that it is still an Apple Watch at first glance.

Within the Series 3 itself, there are some differences when it comes to hardware, mainly the screen and how it rests on the body. The Series 3 was the second time Apple released a Ceramic Edition model, coming in both White and Gray Ceramic. It is the only Apple Watch that came in Gray Ceramic, which tells me it probably didn’t sell well and why I was able to get one on eBay for $105.

The Ceramic models have a distinct lip or “shelf” between the display and the body, resulting in a break in the fluid feeling when you slide your finger off the screen and onto the body. This was a limitation of the Ceramic manufacturing process because even the entry-level aluminum and mid-tier stainless steel models had the seamless feel and look between screen and body. As beautiful as the Ceramic Edition is, it’s a shame they couldn’t make it as seamless considering the original $1,299 price tag.

Notice the bigger “shelf” on the Ceramic models vs the Rose Gold Aluminum.

Battery

The main issue with the Series 3 would probably be battery life since after 7 years, the battery might be shot. I acquired 3 watches, and their respective battery health was 95%, 99%, and 77%. Ironically the one with 77% looked like it was replaced since it had some residual glue on the Gray Ceramic bezel, while the other two show no signs of battery replacement. I know my White Ceramic model does have an original battery, but I’ll explain how later.

Either way, the battery life is great. Since the Series 3 does not have an Always-On Display, it still manages to get its 18 hour battery life, and even more. Even my Gray Ceramic one that has 77% Battery Health went from 94% to 17% in 23 hours, with a 4-hour period where I didn’t wear the watch. The watch then went to 10% within the next 10 minutes reflecting the bad battery health. I wouldn’t trust the battery life under 20% for a battery this old, but you can still get 18 hours out of it.

There is no low power mode, so you don’t get the benefit of increasing your battery life up to 36 hours.

Performance

Although the watch does lag at times, it is more than bearable because at the end of the day, it is a watch, not your main computing device. You’re not going to edit video or compile code on these. When responding to messages, checking the weather, or setting alarms, everything is slower than a Series 9 or Series 10, but it gets the job done in reasonable time. After a few hours, you even forget about how “slow” it is since you get used to it.

In some ways, the software is actually smoother, which is one of the reasons why I got this watch. When you swipe to switch watch faces, you don’t have to wait for the time to adjust like you do on the latest Apple watches. The time is always what it is instead of the hour and minute hands having to swoop into place. Your complications are always up to date, which also makes the experience more Apple-like. This is due to the simpler interface of watchOS 8 vs the huge overhaul watchOS went through starting with watchOS 10. The older, more simpler software keeps the 7 year old Series 3 nimble enough. With watchOS 10, swiping the watch faces became more stuttery and buggy, and dare I say, more Android-like.

Most 3rd party apps that I use are simple apps that don’t require much processing power. They run in the background as complications. If you use any heavy apps that require a lot of processing power, it probably won’t run well (if at all) on the Series 3.

Still Feature Rich

It might not have all the bells and whistles of the Series 10, but you still get the following benefits:

• High and low heart rate notifications

• Irregular rhythm notifications

• Low cardio fitness notifications

• Sleep tracking

• Cycle Tracking

• Noise Monitoring

• Ping your iPhone

• Ping your watch with your iPhone

• Water resistance (tested and still intact after 7 years(!), but YMMV)

• LTE 

Features that are absent:

• HomeKit compatibility (the new Matter Standard probably broke this.)

• Fall detection

• Always On Display

• Can’t assign watch faces to focus modes

• Fast charging

• Digital Crown haptics

• Emergency SOS

• Vitals App

Quirks

There are ways around some of the limitations of the Series 3. For the always-on display, you can still rotate the digital crown to slowly wake up the display to glance at the time (also available on current watches). You also don’t have to worry about whether your display is “always on” vs actually on, because it is either ON or OFF. No confusion there.

You also get the original modular watch face, which was updated in future revision of watchOS. The original modular watch face was unique in letting you change the color of the digital clock with your color choice, whereas the new modular only gives you black and white options for time, depending on the color you choose.

The original Modular watch face with a color-changing digital clock.

Your watch faces are limited compared to the Series 10 which has many more full screen options, but you do get the following discontinued watch faces on the Series 3:

1. Explorer

2. Siri

3. Numerals

4. Chronograph

Of these 4 options, the Explorer watch face is my favorite, giving you red watch hands as an option. It’s also Jony Ive’s favorite watch face.

Source: Hodinkee

An important quirk of the Series 3? It lets you know immediately when your iPhone is out of range with a crossed-out, red iPhone on your screen, so you don’t ever get too far from your iPhone.

Why did I buy 3 of them?

I didn’t mean to buy three of these, it just happened.

I bought a cheap Rose Gold option as a testing device that had 95% battery health, but once I realized how useful the Series 3 is, I decided to go premium and get both Ceramic editions on eBay.

The Ceramic does add a lot of class, and I was fortunate to get the exclusive ceramic Sport Bands bundled with the watch that included a ceramic pin instead of a stainless steel pin.

I could have skipped on the Gray Ceramic as the White Ceramic is definitely more beautiful, but at the cheap price that I got it for, it’s worth holding onto. It really shines in the light versus dark environments.

These watches are old, and you can find great deals on them. The Rose Gold 42mm was $65 with 95% battery health. The Gray Ceramic was $105 with 77% battery health, but if I send it to Apple to get it replaced for $79, I’m looking at around $200 all-in for a fully healthy watch that once retailed for $1349.

Lastly, I found a unicorn Series 3, 42mm White Ceramic that was barely used by the original owner, and it included the box with all the accessories for around $350. It had 99% battery health, and the band that was “used” was barely used.

Left to right: Rose Gold, White Ceramic, Gray Ceramic.

Who should buy the Series 3?

If you just need a reliable Apple Watch and want the best bang for your buck, don’t buy the Series 3. You can easily get a much better experience and an always-on display for around the same price with a Series 5, especially if you are not concerned about buying a flawless watch. Just make sure to check the battery health before purchasing.

If you’re someone who appreciates Apple and are an Apple enthusiast, it would be worth buying a nice Series 3 watch since you get the best version of the original design. The original Apple Watch (known in the tech circle as the Series 0), Series 2, and Series 3 shared the same industrial design before it was changed for the Series 4.

Owning a Series 3 will be owning a piece of Apple history that is still usable today. You can get premium models for a great price on eBay, and since Apple still supports the Series 3, you can easily get screens and batteries replaced.

Jet Black Apple Watch durability after hitting the floor…hard.

Welp…it happened.

I have been babying my Jet Black Apple Watch after my initial troubles that I had with it.

This time it was my fault.

It was just sitting there, with its beautiful shiny piano black contrasting with the brushed sheen of the Space Black link bracelet. I grabbed it to put it on, and down it fell on the tiled floor.

It all happened so fast.

No bouncing around either, just a hard thud due to the weight of the link bracelet pulling it down.

I grabbed it and didn’t see any obvious signs of damage on the front body or the screen, but there is a blemish at the point of impact near the rear of the bottom right corner.

It’s actually not that noticeable even when directly looking at it. I just shined a light to point it out.

If you zoom in this much, everything looks worse than it is.

The body of the watch did not dent, and if I feel and rub my fingers on the point of impact, I can’t feel any roughness. The Digital Crown also feels the same and presses and spins just fine.

Aluminum is more prone to bending than Stainless Steel and Titanium, but since the watch is rounded off, it is less likely to dent since it “slips” on impact. I remember dropping my iPhone 12 mini back when I had it, and the dent was visible and feelable since it was a squared off device.

This impact might be for the best because now, I don’t have to baby it anymore. It’s like that vintage car you want that has 5 miles on it, and you don’t want to mess it up by driving it. This scratch just added 100,000 miles to my watch, so now I can daily it worry free.

I’m just glad it’s not on the front of the watch where it would be staring at me all the time.

Apple’s Watch faces are broken.

Zac Hall from 9to5Mac rants about the Always-On Display with ticking seconds hand on the Series 10:

It’s the only model that displays seconds on the watch face in always-on mode. There’s just one catch: only three watch faces support this hardware feature. Now, that number has grown — to a whopping four.

Zac’s a lot more kind that I am about this lack of consistency in hardware support, but I’m glad someone else is talking about this. I hope he’s wrong (so does he) about Apple’s strategy moving forward with the watch face support:

The good news is that Apple’s new Unity Rhythm face in watchOS 11.3 supports always-on seconds, just like Reflections.

The bad news? This sums up Apple’s watch face game plan: introduce a few new watch faces annually that feature always-on seconds, while simultaneously removing some less popular watch faces that lack this feature.

Ideally, this is incorrect, and watchOS 12 updates all watch faces to support always-on seconds. A standard analog watch face with numerals, like Utility or California, should support always-on seconds — especially if Apple isn’t going to update each face. Every watch face should support the hardware’s capabilities though.

To complicate things further (pun intended), there are a lot of Time based complications that also would benefit from the Always-On Display with ticking seconds hand, but I can live without those for now.